237: Chapter 237: Testing the Gods (Thirteen)

Outside, Nangong Yan and his lieutenant had been keeping a close eye on the movements at the city gate.

The gate remained tightly shut, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Suddenly, wind swept in from all directions.

"Your Highness, this is bad!"

"Be car—" ful!

Before the lieutenant could finish his sentence, the sound of wind roared incessantly.

A black vortex suddenly appeared beneath their feet; the next moment, they were sucked in and vanished.

On the other side, Qian Ye was about to leave with Meng Yu and the others when she suddenly sensed that the mark she had left on Nangong Yan had been tampered with.

Qian Ye's expression changed, and she immediately dashed toward Nangong Yan's location.

Although Meng Yu and the others didn't understand why, they followed without hesitation.

When they arrived, they only saw the traces left by the recently vanished black vortex.

Qian Ye crouched down and lightly touched the ground with her fingers, her brows furrowed.

This power felt unfamiliar yet carried a hint of familiarity.

"I'd like to see what the person behind this is actually up to..." Qian Ye stood up, her eyes cold.

Meng Yu asked worriedly, "What do we do now?"

Qian Ye closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the location of the mark again.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, "Follow me."

Meng Yu looked at the familiar abandoned Ancient Mansion, not expecting they would return once more.

The Ancient Mansion still exuded a gloomy aura, but unlike before, it was now surrounded by a thick fog.

"He should be inside." Qian Ye clenched her fists.

Just as they were about to enter the Ancient Mansion, a crow flew overhead, letting out a blood-curdling cry as if foretelling something.

As soon as Qian Ye and her group stepped into the Ancient Mansion, the door slammed shut with a "bang."

Meng Yu was startled and tightly grabbed the corner of Qian Ye's clothes.

The interior of the Ancient Mansion was incredibly dim, with only a few weak candles flickering.

Qian Ye scanned the surroundings, suddenly hearing a low laugh echoing through the space.

"Hahahaha, Venerable One, you had to return in the end."

"Heh, what a load of nonsense." Qian Ye didn't even bother to look, her expression indifferent.

The laughter stopped abruptly as a dark figure slowly emerged. "The Venerable One is indeed as confident as ever," the dark figure said eerily, his voice sounding as if it came from hell.

Qian Ye shielded Meng Yu behind her, her eyes cold. "You people really are persistent. I'm quite curious how you manage to find my location so accurately every time."

The dark figure laughed loudly. "That is naturally thanks to the umbrella the Venerable One is bound to."

Qian Ye's eyes sharpened.

"Heh, no wonder."

So it was a pre-planned conspiracy.

It seemed the romance game wasn't just to lure her in.

Binding her to it was their ultimate goal.

As he spoke, the dark figure brought out an umbrella.

"It's the red singer!"

"Boss, how did that umbrella end up in his hands?" Meng Yu was shocked.

It was hard to imagine anyone could snatch something from the Boss's hands.

"Heh, red singer... you even gave it such a name."

"Do you know what its purpose is?"

"Its primary ability is marking."

"Anyone marked by it—be they human, god, or demon—will be locked onto until death."

"The Venerable One is a busy person, so we had no choice but to resort to this." As the dark figure spoke, he couldn't hide his smugness.

"Damn, you shameless bastard."

Beside them, Tai You rolled up his sleeves, wanting to fight him.

Qian Ye reached out to stop Tai You, the disdain in her eyes deepening.

"Do you really think you can suppress me just because you have this umbrella?"

The dark figure snorted. "Don't be stubborn, Venerable One. Today, I will surely capture you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark figure waved the hong ling umbrella. In an instant, countless black threads shot out from the tip of the umbrella, coiling toward Qian Ye and the others.

Qian Ye formed hand seals and chanted under her breath. A golden barrier instantly expanded, blocking the attack of the black threads.

"A mere parlor trick," Qian Ye said coldly.

Seeing this, the dark figure poured more spiritual power into the hong ling umbrella, making the black threads thicker and denser.

At that moment, Meng Yu quietly took out a small object and threw it forcefully at the dark figure.

The object expanded rapidly in the air, transforming into a large net that covered the dark figure.

Caught off guard, the dark figure was entangled in the net and couldn't move.

"Quick, Boss, take the umbrella back!"

Qian Ye raised an eyebrow and took the opportunity to snatch the red singer back.

Qian Ye put the umbrella away and glanced at the dark figure who had broken free. "I'll spare your life today. Go back and tell your master to stop playing these petty tricks."

The next moment, she crushed the hong ling umbrella right before his eyes.